The present invention relates to fingerprinting apparatus, and, in particular, to a fingerprint ink dispenser that may be mounted at site of use on varying substrates.
Fingerprinting is commonly employed for identifying individuals in many investigative situations. The situations requiring the procedure may vary from fixed departmental locations to mobile and transient sites. Accordingly, a variety of dispensers have been developed tailored for addressing the multiplicity of conditions.
For field use, fingerprint cases adapted to be pocket carried are commonly used. For desk or other permanent locations, brackets are used to fixedly mount the applicator pad and case. For single print and mobile applications, smaller cases and pads are preferred.
The resultant variety of dispensers, sizes and mounting techniques result in a multitude of designs, even within a single organization and often at a compromise to the underlying task, i.e. reliably contemporaneously taking the necessary prints, in a quality format.
In view of the foregoing limitations, it would be desirable to provide a single fingerprint case and pad design that could be used in all fingerprinting venues and reliably deployed for taking the necessary prints for the investigations at hand.
The present invention provides a fingerprinting apparatus having a one-piece clamshell case carrying a fingerprint pad in a base and having an integrally hinged overlapping lid. The base is provided with plural mounting modes. First, the base includes fastener holes for allowing fixed attachment of the case at a permanent site. The lower surface of the base provides located attachments of magnetic and slip resistant pads allowing the case to be used on a variety of transiently available surfaces. All mounting modes are within the confines of a typical pocket envelop, facilitating convenient carrying to remote and mobile sites, thereby allowing a single design to be utilized for the preponderance of investigative occurrences.
Accordingly, it is an object of fingerprint ink dispenser that may be deployed in a plurality of mounting modes.
Another object of the invention is to provide a fingerprinting pad and case that permits permanent and releasable mounting.
A further object is to provide a single format fingerprinting pad and case that may be mechanically, adhesively or frictionally mounted on a working surface for securing fingerprints.